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The world added 41 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2011, up 6% from the previous year, according to a report from the Global Wind Energy Council. China led the world in new installations with 18 GW, followed by the U.S. and India, with 6.8 GW and 3 GW, respectively, GWEC said. "Despite the state of the global economy, wind power continues to be the renewable generation technology of choice," said GWEC Secretary-General Steve Sawyer.

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A growing number of businesses are investing in wind energy, including Google, Amazon, IKEA, BMW, General Motors, Apple and Microsoft, said the Global Wind Energy Council. In 2014, the industry attracted investments totaling $100 billion, GWEC said on Global Wind Day. "As businesses become increasingly aware of the progress in technology and falling costs we are seeing a rapid change in investment patterns," said GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer.

Global installed wind power capacity grew by nearly 20% in 2012 to reach 282 gigawatts, the Global Wind Energy Council reported. The U.S. and China installed the most with 13 GW apiece, followed by Germany, India and the U.K. with about 2 GW each, GWEC said. China has the most installed wind power capacity at 77 GW, followed by the U.S. with 60 GW, the council said.

Wind energy could supply 12% of the world's power by the end of the decade if governments adopt consistent policies and meet their carbon-emission-reduction targets, according to a report from the Global Wind Energy Council and Greenpeace International. Global wind capacity could rise to 1,150 gigawatts by 2020, up from 238 GW in 2011, if nations address several issues, such as the uncertainty over the U.S. wind-energy Production Tax Credit, said GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer. Governments should also find the "political courage to tackle subsidies in conventional energy, expected to be worth $630 [billion] in 2012," compared to approximately $30 billion for renewable energy, Sawyer said.

The world's installed offshore wind-power capacity reached 4.62 gigawatts by the end of June, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. Ninety percent is in waters off northern Europe, while most of the remainder is in two demonstration projects off the coast of China, GWEC said. Plans are moving in the U.S., Japan and other countries for major offshore wind projects, with the most ambitious scenarios projecting 80 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2020, with Europe accounting for 75%, GWEC said.

Growth in wind power markets in South America, Asia and Canada will make up for lost momentum in the traditional markets of Europe and the U.S., where austerity measures and uncertain policies will stymie the industry's growth, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. "Asia continues to drive global growth, but the European market is stable for now. Latin America is the thing to watch," said GWEC Secretary-General Steve Sawyer.